February 26, 2014 Harlem Globetrotters Revolutionized Game with 4-Point Shot in 2010

Basketball innovators have perfected 35-foot shot in over 1,200 games since inception

(PHOENIX, Feb. 26, 2014) – While there has been a great deal of discussion recently about the NBA looking into adopting a 4-point shot, it should be pointed out that basketball’s premier innovators, the world famous Harlem Globetrotters, have actually been using a 4-point shot since 2010.

The Harlem Globetrotters’ 4-point shot – which is 35 feet from the basket, nearly 12 feet beyond the NBA’s three-point arc – has been used in over 1,200 games since its inception on Dec. 5, 2010. Globetrotter Dizzy Grant drilled the first official 4-pointer in basketball annals in the first quarter of the Globetrotters’ nationally-televised victory over the Washington Generals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World (highlights HERE). The basketball and 4-point circle utilized on the shot are now on display at the mecca of the sport, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

The 4-point shot has brought a thrilling, high-scoring brand of basketball to Globetrotters’ games in recent years, as the Globetrotters have set team records for points in a game (193), a half (116) and a quarter (68). Sharp-shooter Ant Atkinson has set individual Globetrotter records for points in a game (93), points in a quarter (50), 4-point shots in a game (22) and 4-point shots in a quarter (12). Other Globetrotter 4-point specialists include Grant, Bull Bullard, Cheese Chisholm, Slick Willie Shaw, Buckets Blakes and Firefly Fisher, who holds the team mark for most consecutive 4-pointers made in a game, with 10.

“The 4-point shot is very exciting for players and fans alike,” says Atkinson. “It really opens up the floor, which makes a big difference, given the size and athleticism of today’s basketball players. Teams are always in it with the 4-pointer, anything can happen and it makes every game dramatic.”

The Globetrotters have been at the forefront of basketball’s evolution, popularizing the slam dunk, alley-oop, behind-the-back-pass, etc. Globetrotters founder Abe Saperstein even helped bring the three-point shot to a basketball league for the first time ever, as the shot was used in the 1961-62 season when Saperstein formed the American Basketball League.

Sponsored by Wonderful Pistachios, Howard Johnson Hotels, World Vision, Greyhound Lines and Baden Sports, The Harlem Globetrotters® are celebrating their 88th consecutive year, continuing a world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry, and one-of-a-kind family entertainment that continues to thrill fans of all ages. Harlem Globetrotters International, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation, the largest family-owned themed entertainment company in the U.S. Throughout their history, the Original Harlem Globetrotters have showcased their iconic talents in 122 countries and territories on six continents, often breaking down cultural and societal barriers while providing fans with their first-ever basketball experience. Proud inductees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Globetrotters have entertained hundreds of millions of fans-among them popes, kings, queens, and presidents-over more than eight thrilling decades.

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